Automatic playing attachment for musical instruments.



T. P. BROWN.

AUTOMATIC PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

I APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1903.

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77 J @b/s lid-antes UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE P. BROI/VN, OF WVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SIMPLEXPIANO PLAYER COMPANY, OF WVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,208, dated October11, 1904.

Application filed March 20, 1903. Serial No. 148,660.

T all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEODORE P. BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Automatic PlayingAttachment for Musical Instruments, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a pncumatically- 1 controlled playingattachment of that class which are employed for striking the keys of apiano or for similar purposes.

The especial object of this invention is to provide instruments of thisclass with pro- 5 tecting-screens or air-straining attachments which areso located that'they will not interfere with prompt response of theinstrument and which will prevent particles of dust or other materialfrom choking up or clogging the ventilating-holes.

To these ends this invention consists of the automatic playingattachment for musical instruments and of the combinations of partstherewith, as hereinafter described, and more 5 particularly pointed outin the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of sufiicientparts of an automatic playing attachment for musical in- 3 struments toillustrate the application of my invention thereto, and Fig. 2 is adetail view of a channel-board to which the cloth covering or screen isapplied.

In operating an automatic playing attachment for musical instruments ofthe class to which this invention relates one of the sources of greatestdifliculty arises from the stopping up of the ventilating-holes whichexhaust the air from the primary pneumatics after being 4 operated. Inspite of the most careful inspection and tests which may be made uponinstruments of this class before they are shipped from the factory itwill sometimes happen that one or more of the ventilatingholes becomestopped up before the instrument reaches the purchaser. This may be dueto the fact that a small piece of sawdust or other light material may beleft in one of (No model.)

' the tracker board channels or other passages, and in the ordinaryconstruction of 5 such musical instruments such small particles ofsawdust, dust, or other material are liable to be sucked up against theventilating-disk and to stop up or obstruct one of theventilating-holes, or in other cases it sometimes happens that smallparticles of dust or other foreign matter are drawn down through thetracker-board channels and choke up one or more of theventilating-passages.' I regard this as a most serious drawback in amusical 6O instrument, because whenever a ventilatinghole becomesplugged up the corresponding note will fail to speak or will not respondas quickly as required to secure the best results.

The especial object of this invention is to 5 overcome this difficultyby providing a dustscreen which will protect the ventilatingholes andprevent foreign matter from lodging therein, but which will be solocated that it will not interfere with the tracker-board 7 channels orother passages leading to the primary pneumaticsthat is to say, in anautomatic playing attachment for musical instruments constructedaccording to my invention the dust-screens are located in the channelswhich lead from the primary pneumatics to their ventilating openings. Inpractice I have covered the face of the channel-board which carries theventilating-disks with a facing of cheese-cloth or other materialsufliciently open in mesh to permit air to be drawn therethrough, whilefine enough to prevent the passage of particles of dust or othermaterial which would be liable to obstruct the ventilating-holes. 8 5

Referring to the drawings for a detail description of an automaticplaying attachment for musical instruments constructed according to myinvention, 10 designates the trackerboard, which cooperates with a stripof per- 9 forated paper in the ordinary way. Extending down from thetracker-board 10 are pipes or tubes 11, which connect to channelsleading to primary pneumatics 12. Operated by each of the primarypneumatics 12 is a valve 13 for admitting air to operate avalve-controlling pneumatic 1%, which pneumatic 14 controls aflapper-valve 15, which flapper-valve 15 controls the exhausting of airfrom one of the main or primary pneumatics 16. The mov able section ofeach of the main pneumatics 16 has an arm which operates a rod or wire17, having a striking-cushion at its lower end for operating the keysfofapiano or similar instrument. These parts may be of any of the ordinaryor preferred constructions, and while Ihave shown an instrument of onewell-known type it is to be understood that my invention is alsoapplicable to constructions in which the operative parts are arranged indifferent relations to each other.

When one of the primary pneumatics 12 has been operated to sound a note,the pneumatic must be restored to normal position. This is done byexhausting the air from the primary pneumatic through a channelextending through a channel-board 18 to a small ventilating hole in aventilating disk or washer 19that is to say, in an automatic instrumentof the class to which this invention relates whenever a note is soundedthere will be more or less flow of air from the primary pneumatic in thedirection of the arrow shown in Fig. 1. In order to prevent this currentof air from carrying dust or other particles of matter liable to stop upthe ventilatinghole in the disk 19, I provide the channelboard 18 with acovering of cheese-cloth or other comparatively open meshed material, asshown in .Fig. 2. This covering 20 of cheese-cloth or similar material Ihave found in practice forms a very eiiicient screen for protecting theventilating-holes, while at the same time this screen is so located thatit does not in any way obstruct the tracker-board channels or interferewith the prompt response of the instrument.

scribed; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. In an instrument of the class described, the combination of apneumatic, a channel leading from the pneumatic to the trackerboard, achannel leading from the pneumatic to a ventilating-hole, and a screeninterposed between the pneumatic and ventilating-hole while the channelleading to the tracker-board is left unobstructed.

2. In an instrument of the class described, the combination of a seriesof pneumatics with passages extending therefrom, a channelboardconnecting said passages to ventilatingopenings, said channel-boardhaving a single piece of cloth or other open-meshed material appliedthereto to form a screen for protecting the entire series ofventilating-holes.

3. In an instrument of the class described, the combination of a seriesof primary pneumatics, a channel board, ventilating-disks carried by thechannel-board and having ventilating-holes for exhausting the air fromthe primary pneumatics, and a covering of cheesecloth or similaropen-meshed material secured on the face of the channel-board andforming screens for protecting the ventilating-holes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

THEODORE P. BROWN. Witnesses:

LoUIs W. SoUTHeATE, PHILIP WV SOUTHGATE.

